Distributer.



W. H. SANDERS. DISTRIBUTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1907. 91 3,169.

WALTER H. SANDERS, OF ORANGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DISTRIIBU'IER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

Application filed June 11, 1907. Serial No. 378,354.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER H. SANDERS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Orange, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Distributers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a distributer for electrical current and is adapted particularly' to the distribution of such current for ignition of explosive charges in multi-cylinder internal combustion gasolene motors.

The object of my improvements herein simple and substantial construction, permanently accurate in its operation and easily accessible as to all its parts, so that ins ection, cleaning and adjustment may be facilitated as far as possible and the necessity for attention reduced to a minimum.

In the drawings hereto annexed which illustrate an embodiment of my invention,-

Figtir'e l. is a vertical section of the d1s tri 'ter; Fig. 2 a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

The main part of the fixed portion of my improved distributor consists of a shell of insulating material, preferably hard rubher or vulcanite, the said shell being of circular cross sect-ion throughout. Preferably the insulatin shell A is made cylindrical as this form is, by reason of its symmetry, less liable to warp or become distorted than more complicated or asymmetrical forms. At the two ends of the insulating shell A I provide the head and foot plates B, B'.. Each of these plates is formed with a flange as b 6 these flanges being circular and so proportioned that they fit internally into the insulating shell A at the two ends. Screws 1) passing through the head and foot plates into the insulatlng shell secure the plates to the end of the shell. The function of the flanges 6 b is important. A circle being the most capacious figure, it follows that distortion would tend to diminish the area inclosed by the circular walls of the shell, and as this area is fixed, at its'largest, by the circular flan e, the flange meets and resists any attempte change of shape of the shell.- By this means the two head plates effectively retain the shell in its true geometrical form, so that the contact making leads which are secured to the shell will at all times maintain their proper adjustment.

In the head'plate B there is formed the top bearing 5 and in the foot plate B the bottom bearing 6 ally concentric with the shell A and serve as bearings for the rotating shaft D. This shaft is formed with a shoulder d at or near the bearing 6'' and projects from the foot plate B so that it may be attached as by a set screw k passing through the guard ring K to a shaft M which derives its rotation to I from some convenient portion of the motor be described 1s to provide a distrlbuter of l mechanism.

The upper end of the shaft D durable, l finds its bearing at 6*.

Just above the shoulder d the primary circuit closer E is secured to and in electrical contact with the shaft D. This circuit closer for the primary circuit consists of a plate provided with projecting wipers e which are preferably integral with the plate itself, these corresponding in number to the number of spark excitations to be made in a rotation of the distributer shaft D. The primary circuit closer E is secured to the shaft D by a screw 6.

The contact maker for the primary circuit which cooperates with the circuit closer E, consists of the plunger F which projects through a hole in the insulating shell'A and is provided at its inner end with a roller f which makes contact with the wiper projections 6 successively as the circuit closer E is rotated. The plunger F slides in a housing f which is secured to the outside of the shell A. A cap f which is screwed onto the housing f confines the spring f which holds the plunger F yieldingly pressed toward the circuit closer E. The center pin j, which is centrally secured in the outer end of the plunger F projects slightly through a central hole in the cap 7', and assists in guiding the plunger and serves also as a visible telltale whereby the correct operation of the plunger F may be ascertained without detaching any part of the instrument. A split clam f constricted by the screw 1" is secure to the outer end of the cap f and carries the binding post P.

The sleeve G of hard rubber or other insulating material surrounds the shaft and is secured thereto as by a screw 9. Upon the insulating sleeve Gr there is fixed the metallic ring H which is provided with a radially projecting segmental arm h, this member constituting the circuit closer for the which bearings are axi- 'c on the primary spark-conne segment arm is passing out of spark jumping distance from the lead I.

secondary circuit. At proper intervals secondary circuit leads I are inserted in the insulating shell A and project inwardly therefrom to within spark jumpin distance of the circular path of the outer e ge of the segmental arm h. Also at some convenient intermediate point the secondary circuit coil. lead J is placed, this lead projecting inwardly to spark jumping distance of the ring G. The leads I are spaced to correspond with the angular spacing of the Wipers circuit closer E and are so arranged that the primary circuit is closed through the closer Bland the plunger contact f synchronously with the opposition of the segmental arm hf vith the leads I. The closure of the primary cireuit 'ismade through the contact of the Wiperxprojections e and the roller f while the closureo'f the secondary circuit is made by the sparks j jumping from the leads I to the segment arm 11 in succession, the lead J being also within cting distance of the ring H. The above described parts are also so proportioned and arranged that the primary contact at f is made just as the segment arm it comes within s arkingdistance of the secondary lead I an break contact just as the Consequently, by the o eration of the distributor itself the secon ary circuit is excited first by the make in the primary and then by the break so that a double sparking is made certain and its effect felt at the spark plug of the engine cylinder.

By virtue of the construction above described when the adjustment of the secondary leads I and J is once made with reference to the circuit closer it, no adjustment will be necessary because warping and distortion of the shell A is effectually prevented by the flanged head and foot platesB and B, and as the shaft 1) is provided with metal hearings in both the head and foot plates and the said bearings are concentric with the shell A, no disturbance of the proper adjustment is possible under normal conditions.

The above described spark distributer is I holding ring plunger F, the cap f spring may then be I very easy to take apart or to assemble. By

removing the screw is after disconnecting the lead wire, the entire distributer can be taken from the driving shaft M and the K removed. Then, by removing the head plate B andfoot plate B the shaft D, carrying the circuit closer E and insulating sleeve G can be removed and like- Wise the primary circuit closer can be removed by loosening the screws e and g. Also if it be desired to examine the contact is easily unscrewed and the plunger with its withdrawn. By merely taking off the head plate B the entire interior of the apparatus is disclosed to view and it is then easy to make accurate adjustment of the leads I and J.

I claim:

' The abovedescribed distributer comprising a shell A of insulating material; a metal head plate B fixed to one end of shell A and from the housing f .made with shell supportmg flange 6 a metal foot plate B fixed to the other end of shell A made with shell supporting flange 6 a shaft D journaled in plates B and B, and provided-at one end with a coupling member; a wheel E fixed to shaft Dand made with radial arms 6; a roll f cooperating with the arms e of wheel E; a plunger F carrying roll f; a spring f acting on plunger F; a bearing 7 extending through shell A; means to hold plunger F against rotation in bearing f with provision for limited endwise movement of the plunger so that only arms 6' engage'roll f; a cap a sleeve G of insulating material fixed to shaft D; a ring H made with an arm It; the circular series of leads I extendingradially through shell A and cooperating with arm h;

ally through shell ring H.

Signed by me at Orange, Massachusetts this seventh day'of June 1907.

' I WALTER H. SANDERS.

IVitnesses CHAS. B. GRANT, CHAS. H. Eons.

and a lead J extending radi- A and cooperating with 

